Excited to put my new copy of Weeds and Wildflowers in Winter by Lauren Brown to good use, I spent the day hunting for unique seed heads and other dried flower parts. The seed capsules seen here were from swamp rose mallow (Hibiscus palustris) and were by far some of the most striking. Each dried swamp rose mallow seed head consists of woody five-parted capsules that appear to resemble a flower themselves. The insides of these capsules are lined with light brown fuzz. Some of the capsules still retained a number of the dark brown seeds, approximately 2 millimeters in diameter. In some cases the sepals still remain as well. 

This patch of swamp rose mallow was in a coastal pond among cattails and Phragmites (swamp rose mallow is fairly common in salty or brackish wetlands from Massachusetts to North Carolina). With tan stems on a tan background, however, I almost overlooked them. It would be hard not to notice this plant in the summer though. Check out this earlier post on swamp rose mallow to see its gigantic pink flowers in all their glory.